國中英語基測出現過 blackboard 的考題。

Josh: Do you know aboutpay it forward coffeeat Flora Café?

Eric: You mean you pay for a cup of coffee for someone poor to have it later?

Josh: Yeah. A cup of coffee is not much, but on cold winter days like today, it might warm them up a little. And maybe their hearts too.

Eric: But will Flora Café really give this cup of coffee to someone later?

Josh: Come on. I’ve known the shopkeeper well. He’s an honest man. He’s got a blackboard in the shop that says how many cups are paid for and how many have been given out.

Eric: But how will they know who to give? Anyone can ask for it, even if they’re not poor.

Josh: True, but then I guess they’ll just have to believe in people.

Eric: Perhaps. But will poor people go and ask for a free coffee? Won’t they worry about losing face?

Josh: Why do you always say things like that?

Eric: Well, it may happen.

Josh: Yeah, I know, but I still think it’s a good thing to do, and it gets people to care about others.

1.
What does things like that mean?
Problems about the free coffee plan.
Ways to make the free coffee plan successful.
Trouble for people who go to Flora Café.
Good things free coffee will bring to Flora Café.
2.
What can we learn about Josh and Eric?
Josh was not able to change Eric’s mind about free coffee.
Eric has more hope for the free coffee plan than Josh does.
They do not know whether Flora Café will do business honestly.
They found a way to make people feel OK to take free coffee.
3.
What do we know about Flora Café from the dialogue?
It has a way to know who really is poor.
People pay less for free coffee than other coffee.
Its blackboard shows if there are free coffees to be taken.
Free coffee has brought it more business.